https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2014-02313-9
Regular Article
Stability of Kuramoto-Sivashinsky fronts in moving fluid
1 Departamento de Ciencias, Sección Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú Av. Universitaria 1801, San Miguel, Lima 32, Perú
2 Department of Physics, Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne, IN 46805, USA
a e-mail: pvilela@pucp.edu.pe
Received: 3 July 2014
Revised: 17 October 2014
Published online: 10 December 2014
We analyze the effects of an external Couette flow on reactions fronts described by the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation. The fronts propagate in a two-dimensional slab confined by two parallel plates moving in opposite directions. The fronts can propagate in the same direction or against the external flow. We obtain steady front solutions by solving numerically the nonlinear time-independent equations. A linear stability analysis determines the stability of the fronts. The fronts and their stability depend on the slab width and on the relative velocity between the plates. These parameters have the potential to modify unstable fronts into stable fronts. We compare our results with fronts developed under a Poiseuille flow.
© EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag, 2014